LEICHHARDT Oval is a special place.
If you're a rugby league fan and you have never been there, then do yourself a favour.
Steeped in history, a day at the spiritual home of the now-defunct Balmain Tigers is like being teleported in a time machine to an era when spectators crammed in shoulder to shoulder on the hill, queuing in droves to buy beer in real cans, and then grabbing a hot dog outside the ground from some crusty old bloke pushing a barrow.
It's how we used to watch footy up until about the late 1980s, when brand-spanking new stadiums popped up at places like Parramatta and Moore Park that revolutionised the game-day experience for supporters.
Since then, sporting venues have continued to evolve and improve but Leichhardt has remained defiant, the equivalent of a vintage EH Holden in a world of Teslas.
But much as I love the old-school charm of the so-called "eighth wonder of the world", I found myself astounded this week to read that it was in line for a multi-million dollar upgrade.
Initial reports suggested it would receive $50 million in public funding, although I have since read the current investment pledge sits at $40 million, of which the federal government will kick in $20 million, along with $10 million apiece from the state government and the Inner West Council.
That will pay for infrastructure improvements including a new grandstand at the northern end, new dressing sheds, improved media and corporate-hospitality facilities, more toilets and extra food and drink outlets. The ground's capacity will increase to 19,000.
Good luck to the good folk of Tigertown, but what a ridiculous waste of money.
For starters, the whole appeal of Leichhardt is that it's old, it's dated and you get the full retro experience. Tinker with that tradition and it just won't be the same.
Then consider that current tenants Wests Tigers are a joint-venture club and are, by their charter, supposed to play at least half their games every season at Campbelltown.
Even in the best-case scenario, the Tigers will play at most six games a year at Leichhardt, and their new CEO Shane Richardson appears unwilling to commit even to that.
Combine that with the fact there are already another eight stadiums in Sydney in regular use, plus the likes of North Sydney Oval, the SCG and Belmore, which can serve a purpose if required. I mean, how many NRL venues do they need in Sin City?
All this, of course, for the incumbent two-time wooden spooners, who haven't featured in the NRL play-offs since 2011.
Meanwhile, up here in Newcastle, our elite-level sporting facilities remain appalling.
Despite an $8 million investment by City of Newcastle in the amenties at No.1 Sportsground, it's more than nine years since we hosted a Sheffield Shield cricket match, let alone any of the Big Bash League or international fixtures.
The National Basketball League is absolutely booming, yet Newcastle has been bypassed as a venue since the demise of the Hunter Pirates in 2006.
The archaic basketball stadium at Broadmeadow is more than 50 years old, does not have enough courts to accommodate the explosion in junior players, and has a roof that has been known to leak.
Meanwhile, Australia's seventh-largest city does not have an aquatic centre, and the tennis courts at District Park are not even close to being fit for any type of professional tournament.
A glimmer of hope emerged this week when the NSW Department of Planning unveiled plans for the proposed Hunter Park precinct at Broadmeadow.
But I'll believe all that when we see it.
It was only two years ago, after all, that another government body, Venues NSW, was spruiking a new entertainment centre and cricket/AFL stadium for Broadmeadow, which to my knowledge remains a figment of the imagination.
If only the federal and state Labor governments showed as much love for a Labor heartland as they have for Leichhardt.
